The invention relates to a new process for the production of 1-(N-methanesulfonyl-N-methylaminosulfonyl)-3-(2-pyrimidyl) urea derivatives as well as a new intermediate product useful for their production. 2. Background Art
The 1-(N-methanesulfonyl-N-methylaminosulfonyl)-3-(2-pyrimidyl) urea derivatives, hereinafter abbreviated as MMSPH, are used, for example, in the growth regulation of plants [European Published Patent Application No. 131,258]. A process for the production of MMSPH has already been described in European Published Patent Applicatior No. 131,258. In this process, starting from methanesulfonylmethylamine (MMSA) and chlorosulfonylisocyanate (CSI), methanesulfonyl-N-methylaminosulfonylisocyanate (MSMASI) is produced first. Then MSMASI is converted with 2-amino-4,6-dimethoxypyrimidine (ADMP) into the corresponding MMSPH. A serious drawback of this process lies in that fact that, because of the tendency toward autocatalytic decomposition of MSMASI, for safety reasons it can be used only to a limited extent, particularly since the reaction has to be performed at relatively high temperatures.